modest

I strongly prefer the new name. Thank you for taking feedback into account.

It sounds as if you misinterpreted the patch notes. It's still a utility power, but now it has a new animation and has the potential to hit more enemies. It still recovers endurance.

I love the changes to Dark Melee. My only feedback is that I wish that the Stalker version of Dark Melee would exchange Touch of Fear for the new Dark Consumption.

Can you provide any numbers to give this statement context?

You can see the results of my testing in the Pylon thread. There is also a lengthy thread in the Defender subsection of the forums where quite a lot of people have tested Storm Summoning on both Defenders and Corruptors.

The new version opens without a problem. Upon opening Island Rum, it downloaded the client again in the user/Applications/coh directory. After the client finished downloading, I was able to launch the 64bit version without any problems.

I also have the exact same problem as @Psych Devil and @jthig32. This problem is unrelated to Safe Mode. My computer runs Mac OS X Mojave 10.14.6. Two hours ago, I opened Island Rum, it updated successfully, and I was able to play on Homecoming without a problem. I just opened Island Rum again. Island Rum updated itself a second time, and now the Island Rum program is stuck at "Application Not Responding". To clarify: Island Rum will not open. Island Rum uses an enormous amount of my CPU and causes the fans in my computer to ramp up on full blast. This is new behavior that was introduced after this evening's update. Once again, this problem is unrelated to Safe Mode. I do not use Safe Mode.

I love this change.

It's like I'm looking into a mirror. I also main a Rad/Sonic Defender, and second a Fire/Atomic blaster. @vibal My latest project is a storm/dark defender, and I recommend it to you based on your enjoyment of Illusion controllers. I posted the build here. The play style is somewhat similar.

I decided to create a Storm/Dark Defender on the test server to see how it compares to my Fire/Storm Corruptor. I built for general PvE play, so my build is not tailored Pylon runs. Storm/Dark Defender: 3 minutes 40 seconds (220 seconds) 2 minutes 52 seconds (172 seconds) 3 minutes 25 seconds (205 seconds) 2 minutes 48 seconds (168 seconds) 2 minutes 44 seconds (164 seconds) Here is my build: I then recreated my Fire/Storm Corruptor on the test server and took it on a Pylon hunt: 2 minutes 53 seconds (173 seconds) 3 minutes 1 seconds (181 seconds) 2 minutes 16 seconds (136 seconds) 2 minutes 28 seconds (148 seconds) 2 minutes 27 seconds (147 seconds) Here's my build: The Corruptor was a bit more challenging to play. It required that I maintain a nearly flawless rotation with the Fire Blast powers, as well as use the storm powers as soon as they recharged. The Defender had more leeway for error, as the only attacks that I used with the Defender were Moonbeam and Gloom. The majority of the damage on the Defender came from Storm Summoning.

I can't recall having heard that term when the game was live, but I might be drawing a Blanker.

@Arctyc I have edited my Rad/Sonic build a bit since the last time I shared it on the forums. Here's the build that I swapped to: I have also attached a .mxd file. Both builds work well. The V13 was a bit better in teams, and this one's a bit better for solo play and soloing AVs. Modest-V15.mxd

@QuiJon Plant Control/Psionic Assault is one of the old school Dominator builds that could tackle AVs. The trick was to use Entangle and Roots to immobilize the AV at range. It required that a player move closer to use Drain Psyche once every 30 seconds, then immediately jump back. I suspect that Plant Control/Martial Assault can accomplish this as well because of Martial's high damage. The single target damage that a MA Dominator with Envenomed Blades puts out is very good, and it should easily overtake an AV's regeneration.

This topic is about plant/MA. I posted a build for that specific combination.

You absolutely have enough damage to kill higher level bosses. You can even kill arch-villains and GMs with practice. Players have been soloing AVs and GMs with Mind Control/Psionic Assault and Mind Control/Fire Assault dominators since back on live. I expect that /Martial Assault deals enough damage to do it as well. Capping defenses gives you a minimum amount of durability. The rest of your survival is accomplished by keeping Domination permanent, and weaving either Dominate or Confuse into your attack chain so that you keep the Boss/Elite Boss/AV permanently held or confused. It's my experience that this is easier to do with Confuse.

This particular combination works well on both Corruptors and Defenders. Ice Blast is fantastic on a Corruptor and benefits from Scourge. Storm Summoning is strongest on a Defender. I would personally choose to make this character a Defender for a few reasons. First, I would expect that the majority of my damage would come from Storm Summoning, and the Defender version of the power set deals more damage. Second, Steamy Mist and Freezing Rain are stronger on the Defender version. Finally, it is easier to reach the defense and resistance soft caps on a Defender because of their archetype modifiers. You will have a good character no matter which route you choose.

I'm chiming in to say that I basically agree with everything that @Coyote wrote. That being said, I find Darkness Affinity more fun to play than Cold Domination or Thermal Radiation. At the lower levels, I didn't find Cold Domination's powers to be very helpful. The shields only affect allies, and I found them tedious to apply. Infrigidate is a surprisingly good T1 power. Snow Storm was never useful at any level. Frostwork was similarly ineffective. The set's best powers, Benumb, Sleet, and Heat Loss, are the last three powers in the set. In comparison, Darkness gets Twilight Grasp as its T1 power. Tar Patch, Darkest Night, and Howling Twilight are also very helpful at all levels. Fade is far more convenient than the ice shields. Soul Absorption provides a PBAoE +regen and +recovery buff, and I find that far more helpful than Frostwork. The only powers that I do not enjoy in this set are Black Hole. I'm not as familiar with Thermal Radiation, but on paper it looks fun at all levels.

@Pharce I do not take spirit tree. The 150% regeneration bonus from the tree is barely noticeable in a group. The only situation where I might take it is if I planned to solo AVs with a dominator. PS: I'm currently trying out Mind/MA as an alternative to Plant/MA. Both pairings seem very strong.

Here is my Plant/Martial build. It is soft capped to Smashing, Lethal, Energy, Fire, and Cold. This build is meant for trials. It sacrifices recharge and some damage for added durability. modest-plant-control-martial-assault.mxd

Yes, blasters can solo strike forces, archvillains, and giant monsters. Back on live, the easiest blaster build that could do this was Fire Blast/Mental Manipulation. Drain Psyche debuffs for -250 Regen and Recovery, and it can be made permanent with high recharge. On Homecoming, the following builds can solo AVs: Fire Blast/Martial Combat Fire Blast/Atomic Manipulation Fire Blast/Tactical Arrow Fire Blast/Temporal All of these can be built with capped Smashing, Lethal, Energy, Fire, and Cold defenses. They can also be built for positionals if a blaster wants to rely upon hovering and stay out of melee range. I'll even share a couple of builds: Fire/Atomic: modest-fireatomic-solo-avs.mxd Fire/Martial: modest-firemartial-solo-avs-v2.mxd Both have ~1400HP on Homecoming at level 50, which places them at a level competitive with Stalkers and Scrappers. They also both have mez protection. Clarion adds an additional level of protection when needed. Both are safe in melee and at range. I'd also like to add that there are blasters on these forums who build for much higher survivability than my builds.

This thread is a spin off from a separate discussion on Rad/Bio builds that use procs to try to match Fire Blast's damage. It literally has nothing to do with you. As I said in my reply to your linked post, it's best if we simply stopped responding to each other. Thank you for your suggestions in the other thread.

I appreciated your last post in which you shared your build and suggestions for improving my build. Thank you for that. I get my numbers from the combat log in-game on the server formerly known as Justin. I can't believe that I have to do this, but here are a couple of screenshots of the various builds that I tested in-game on Justin in June. At this point, it seems like you're going out of your way to take offense at what I write, even if it is not directed at you and has absolutely nothing to do with you. I think that it's best if we simply didn't reply to each other in the future.

@Sovera I wonder if a better attack chain could be made with Blaze --> Char (using the 2 Hami + 2 procs that you mentioned) --> Blazing Blast and Fire Ball as a filler. I am happy that you included at least one DoT tick in your calculations. Other players seem to completely disregard the DoT effect when calculating damage, or they assume that the DoT effect is already included in the skill's in-game displayed damage. The DoT is a significant part of Fire Blast's appeal. I didn't take Blazing Blast because it wasn't working properly before the recent patch.

Good idea. I'll dig it up. Keep in mind that this is an old build and there are things that I would do differently if I were to remake this character. e.g. I would focus on capping ranged defense rather than chasing pure damage. Looking at this build now, I still think that it should have done more damage. I wonder if the lower DPS was due to the lack of Build Up. Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962 http://www.cohplanner.com/ Humble Flame: Level 50 Science Sentinel Primary Power Set: Fire Blast Secondary Power Set: Bio Armor Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery Hero Profile: ------------ Level 1: Flares (A) Superior Sentinel's Ward - Accuracy/Damage (3) Superior Sentinel's Ward - Damage/RechargeTime (3) Superior Sentinel's Ward - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime (5) Superior Sentinel's Ward - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (5) Superior Sentinel's Ward - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (7) Superior Sentinel's Ward - RechargeTime/Chance for +Absorb Level 1: Hardened Carapace (A) Aegis - Resistance (13) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance (13) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge (36) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% Level 2: Fire Blast (A) Superior Opportunity Strikes - Accuracy/Damage (23) Superior Opportunity Strikes - Damage/RechargeTime (25) Superior Opportunity Strikes - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime (25) Superior Opportunity Strikes - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (27) Superior Opportunity Strikes - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (27) Superior Opportunity Strikes - RechargeTime/Chance for Opportunity Level 4: Inexhaustible (A) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery (15) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance (15) Numina's Convalesence - Endurance/Recharge (17) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Recharge (17) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance/Recharge (19) Numina's Convalesence - Heal Level 6: Blaze (A) Apocalypse - Damage/Recharge (7) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage(Negative) (9) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (9) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Recharge (11) Apocalypse - Damage/Endurance (11) Gladiator's Javelin - Chance of Damage(Toxic) Level 8: Aim (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up (46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff (48) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge (48) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance (50) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance (50) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance Level 10: Adaptation Level 12: Super Jump (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range (21) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points) Level 14: Hasten (A) Recharge Reduction IO (23) Recharge Reduction IO Level 16: Fire Ball (A) Ragnarok - Damage (29) Ragnarok - Damage/Recharge (29) Ragnarok - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (31) Ragnarok - Accuracy/Recharge (31) Ragnarok - Damage/Endurance (31) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy) Level 18: Environmental Adaptation (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed (37) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge Level 20: Rebuild DNA (A) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance (34) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Recharge Level 22: Ablative Carapace (A) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance (39) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Recharge Level 24: Kick (A) Empty Level 26: Tough (A) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All) (37) Gladiator's Armor - Resistance (37) Gladiator's Armor - Resistance/Rech/End (40) Gladiator's Armor - Recharge/Endurance (40) Gladiator's Armor - End/Resist (46) Gladiator's Armor - Recharge/Resist Level 28: Athletic Regulation (A) HamiO:Microfilament Exposure Level 30: Weave (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance Level 32: Inferno (A) Armageddon - Damage/Recharge (33) Armageddon - Chance for Fire Damage (33) Armageddon - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (33) Armageddon - Accuracy/Recharge (34) Armageddon - Damage/Endurance (34) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage Level 35: Genomic Evolution (A) Aegis - Resistance (36) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance (36) Aegis - Psionic/Status Resistance Level 38: Fire Cages (A) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Recharge (43) Trap of the Hunter - Endurance/Immobilize (43) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Endurance (45) Trap of the Hunter - Immobilize/Accuracy (45) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Immobilize/Recharge (45) Trap of the Hunter - Chance of Damage(Lethal) Level 41: Char (A) Unbreakable Constraint - Chance for Smashing Damage (42) Ghost Widow's Embrace - Chance of Damage(Psionic) (42) Neuronic Shutdown - Chance of Damage(Psionic) (42) Gladiator's Net - Chance of Damage(Lethal) (43) Gladiator's Javelin - Chance of Damage(Toxic) Level 44: Maneuvers (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed (46) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance Level 47: Parasitic Leech (A) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance (48) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Recharge Level 49: Warmth (A) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance (50) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Recharge Level 1: Defensive Adaptation Level 1: Brawl (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Dash (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Slide (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Quick (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Rush (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Surge (A) Empty Level 1: Sprint (A) Empty Level 2: Rest (A) Empty Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift (A) Empty Level 2: Health (A) Miracle - +Recovery (19) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance Level 2: Hurdle (A) Empty Level 2: Stamina (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End (21) Performance Shifter - EndMod Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon Level 50: Degenerative Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Clarion Core Epiphany Level 50: Assault Radial Embodiment Level 10: Efficient Adaptation Level 10: Offensive Adaptation ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1545;709;1418;HEX;| |78DA65935B53525114C7F78143A4E2855051BC028AA272E0083653D6349952964E2| |6D52B43B8C33303073AE84C3DF6D86BD3A8D56B375F7AEE43747D2BB38FD0E51BD0| |E2ACBFE80C6786F96DD67DAFB5D7EAC345CFFBAB8F2F09A5E34A3157AD6633D2DC3| |24C597467F28634F352D0E7B9B65DBA5794A3E962AE24DD24081C5965D77366416E| |6869C392D9050AB0156AA816E57D6956A5B66094B337AD42CE34F2D9CB56A96C799| |7CD4D6991997674F0AC95CB456D45E62A865968B5FF642A526EB4DBC7B451D8A490| |85CE23AB0D6955378D4A60A962E4B5463EBB86552A415A8FFAA8C869FA9523025FC| |D253EAA42E8AA707C023F33D52FE057E6A96F4C7F94DC14DBD729528A2DF324C024| |33EC270EA9A2128129E551BEB37FEF0F66DF01F8931938047F414E799C9CC7E5BCC| |B713B6E81EBCCAE0C789B79E60ED3A2BC2EE475C51C5CBFCE3CAD8171666B029C71| |DADC265F377CDDFBAC8BBD62C65F836F98FA5BF01D739F6A6EE19A6B7E0AD2C6719| |4B603D6771F3243A46B673BA5BD3E10BD45F4820F287F27F277CEB2FD60124C3187| |E7C0B3E00761B39FF27B311B6F0FF762AC8B19E9067DCC51B2F5A13E1FFA1A443F0| |3A4EB81AE07BA08740EAADDCF3AE1AFD1279C24E9C7A4FA67B98B637130C19C4882| |3A3396628628D300FB8A817982EA142AC51B427786708B09DCE209756704DD1939C| |7B71FBD089E07E799C10BA0E05C61CA15E2B88E105E6E182F373CC77C3629C438E2| |8FEFB06C6A17DC63CE3C075F802F993BE43BC9BEEAE432E78E965817CDF1464497B| |89629BC362FDD751A779DC65D63B86B90EAD530050D5388630A7B9428015D023A1D| |BA816863BB6B836AE35CFF4BD39A6A92249A247A9324D924493549569A246B6A63F| |F85624B5ABA447D1A766DBF5B49AB9CD4FE3D9628CA753A4CD04E07B9537F9AACFF| |9DB4DEC5863D65DEA0A7AD6313D3F45C75E4DCF79D38878ECF83F5CDC579F8C416F| |F074E74008B| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

You're both ahead of me! You replied while I was typing out a reply to @Obitus. I posted my build in the previous post. I'm happy to upload the .mdx file if the import doesn't work. As I said, I have a second build that I use for soloing.